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Sometimes Smartphones Require Smart Solutions

How to fix a phones internal speaker

Submitted by James Bond on Thu, 10/24/2013 - 9:16am

Having problems hearing others, but they can hear you just fine when talking on your mobile phone? Do you have to use your devices hands free speakerphone or Bluetooth headset in order to have a conversation with someone? If so then your phones internal speaker is acting up and as you already know this can cause allot of frustration and can be a serious annoyance. This guide will describe step by step instructions on what can be done to get this issue resolved and get you with a properly working phone once again.

Side Note: If you are having audio issues on an Android Smartphone then I recommend that you access the phones Device Diagnostic Tool to help test your speakers. You can follow the instructions listed at How to test the speakers on an Android smartphoneif you need help accessing the Device Diagnostic Tool and running the check. This can help narrow things down a bit if you are unsure whether or not the audio issues on your Android smartphone are software or hardware related.

The reason there is no sound: Network vs. Hardware vs. Software

Network

If the sound on your phone has static, distortions, robot voices, cross chatter, echoes, or only seems to work properly in certain locations and it doesn’t matter whether you hold the phone to your ear or use the hands free speakerphone or a Bluetooth headset then it is very likely that your phones internal speaker is working correctly but that your phone is not communicating with your wireless provider properly. If that is the case then the best way to resolve those audio issues is to contact your wireless provider and let them know of the problem. When it comes to network issues there is very little that can be done on your end to fix the issue and your wireless provider should be able to help get your phone back in sync with their network.

Hardware

If this is a constant issue and you cannot hear others speaking no matter where you are when using your phone then chances are that this issue is hardware related, meaning that the speaker itself has become damaged or has simply malfunctioned and will need to be replaced.

If you have noticed that the audio will go in and out when using the phone make sure that it doesn’t happen when moving or positioning the phone a certain way or angle. If the audio goes out when moving the phone then it is a hardware issue after all indicating that there is a possible short or a loose connection between the phone and actual speaker piece itself.

Software

If this is not a constant issue, and the audio comes and goes or works with some features but not others then it’s less likely to be a hardware issue and chances are a lot better of fixing the issue yourself.

For example if your ringer, alarm clock and speakerphone are working properly but the game(s) that you just downloaded onto your phone have no sound then it most likely is a result of a bad download or incompatible software from the game itself and you might need to contact the games creator or choose to simply uninstall that game and wait for the software to be updated. The same goes with music. Sometimes the music that can be downloaded to our smartphones will work fine on one application and not on another, or the source that the music comes from might not be the best place to download music from in the first place.

If the sound worked before and has stopped suddenly then this could be the result of software issues as well. for example if your phones software just went through an update and the third party music application on your phone has yet to release an update that’s compatible with the new version of software on your phone then it could give the illusion that the update you just did to your phone has broken it. When in all actuality some apps just need time for updated software to be released.

What you can do to get the sound to work again

If you believe that the audio issue you are experiencing is related to a problem with the software or would prefer to do whatever you can to attempt to fix your phone then I recommend following these few suggestions listed below. They cannot hurt your situation and can often times fix the issue that your phone seems to be experiencing.

Check your apps

Applications were mentioned briefly already but if you downloaded an application around the same time that this issue started occurring on the phone then I would recommend you uninstall that application, power the phone off and on and then check the sound again to see if that application was the cause of the issue.

Check your other apps as well, if one of your apps just updated then it could be an application that you have had for a while and has worked fine up until now but the update for that application could be causing it to not play nice with the software on the phone and could be the root of problem with the sound not working properly.

Backup and reset

If this problem is software related then saving all of your important information to a location other than your phone, like to a computer, uploading it to online storage, or transferring it to a memory card and then performing a hard reset can be the best way to solve software related issues. A hard reset will erase everything that has been added to the phone and will put the software back to like new condition. Thus any problematic third party applications, any glitches, corrupted files, bugs, or viruses will be wiped from the phone and the phone will think it’s brand new once again. At least new as far as software is concerned anyways.

The methods and steps used to perform a backup and reset are going to depend a lot upon what type of phone you have and what software is currently running on the unit. If you have an Android phone then How to backup and reset and Android phone could help guide you through this backup and reset process.

Just remember that a factory data reset or hard reset will erase everything from your phone so make sure to backup all your important information first. That way you won’t lose anything and after the reset you can put all of that information back onto the phone.

I do recommend that after resetting the phone that you try it for a few days as a clean install and wait before putting all of your applications back onto the phone.

Repair or replacement options

If you have reset your entire phone and still cannot hear others and this is a constant issue on the device then there is not too much more troubleshooting that the average user can do and I recommend looking into the other options available.

Warranty

If your phone is less than a year old and has no visual signs of physical or liquid damage then this issue would be covered under the manufactures warranty program and I would look into filing a warranty claim.

Replace the speaker yourself

If your phone is over a year old then it is very likely that the device is out of warranty by date and a warranty claim will not be possible. If the phone is out of warranty by date or out of warranty because of liquid or physical damage then you should consider trying to fix the phone yourself. Installing a replacement speaker isn’t as difficult as you might think and replacement parts averages at around only $15.00 (USD) or less.

No point in spending 50+ dollars on a new phone and most likely having to sign another contract when you can simply spend 10-20 dollars and just fix the phone you have. That way you don’t even need to worry about transferring your information to another device. Just hop online, do some shopping, order the replacement internal speaker (sometimes referred to as an “earpiece speaker”), use your Bluetooth or hands free speakerphone while you wait for the replacement speaker to arrive, install the speaker, and your phone will be up and running again in no time.

If you choose to fix the speaker yourself, which can often be the best choice available, try to make sure to get all of the tools you will need to take apart your phone as well as instructions on how to install the replacement speaker. This will ensure that the repair process goes smoothly and done properly.

Have someone else fix it for you.

If you doubt your repair skills and don’t happen to have a handyman or handywoman around to fix it then look into local repair shops in the area who can fix it for you. This option is usually quite affordable and can be a lot less money than upgrading or filing an Insurance claim which can range from 50-300+ dollars.

Review and Conclusion

So if you are unable to hear others when using a phones earpiece and it seems like a constant issue one of the best things that you can do would be to check the phones applications, perform a full backup on the device and then a factory data reset. This will help to rule out the chance of a software glitch bug or even virus and will wipe everything from the device causing the phones software to be like it was when it was brand new.

If the reset doesn’t fix the issue then warranty is usually the best choice as it’s free, but if warranty is unavailable then repair options is a pretty good choice as well. If you are upgrade eligible and have been meaning to get that awesome new phone that just hit the market then by all means do it! You can even consider replacing the speaker on the phone and giving it to a friend or family member, donating it to charity or any of these other great ideas about what to do with an old mobile phone.

I hope you enjoyed reading the article and found it helpful. If you would like to show your appreciation then let me know by pressing the Facebook Like button or Google + button and if you have any questions or would simply like to leave a friendly remark then don’t hesitate to leave a comment below.

What kind of phone are you having problems with? Most of the time music on a cell phone is played using the same speaker as the ringer, speakerphone, alarm clock, etc. and that is the phones external or loud speaker. The internal speaker is the speaker that you hold up to your ear when you’re on a call.

Either way though, your speaker might not be the cause of the problem, as it works with fm radio but not with mp3 or other music files, it sounds like it could be software related or even more likely a problem with the file themselves.

So let me ask you a few questions about your cell phone…

When did this start happening? Has it always happened on the songs/music you are trying to play or did it just start happening? If it worked fine before and just started happening did you update, change or download anything recently onto your phone?

Do you only hear “cross chatter” on a few specific songs or music files or does it happen when trying to play any of them? If it’s only a few then it’s probably the file(s) itself.

Where did you get the music from? Some third party applications music downloads don’t transfer or don’t always play properly on cell phones. Try transferring the file from your computer or downloading the music file(s) from a different source.

If it is your internal speaker (the one you hold up to your ear), do you have any problems hearing others or hear any “cross chatter” when having a telephone conversation?

Are you using the built in music player or a third party application to play your music? If it’s a third party app then try using a different player to see if it helps. It could be that the app is malfunctioning or needs to be updated.

What steps did you try in the article above? If it is your external speaker did you read How to fix an Android cell phone when its music won’t work? This article has much of the same troubleshooting steps but you might want to check it out as it offers some tips that you might find useful.

It sounds more like an issue with a specific file or files that you are trying to play as opposed to a software issue and I recommend you check those files and your applications first but if it is a software related problem then a factory data reset should clean it right up and get your sound and speakers working properly again. Resetting your phone is a last resort but it is a very powerful tool when troubleshooting software related issues.

I am not sure what type of phone you have but many phones have a device diagnostic tool that can be used to check the speakers to see if the actual hardware is malfunctioning or not. If you have an HTC phone then open your dial pad, as if you were dialing a telephone number and type in *#*#3424#*#* If you have a phone made by another manufacture like Samsung then open your dial pad and type in *#7353# then Tap “Speaker” for the loud speaker and/or “Melody” to test the internal speaker (these options and Star Codes might vary depending on which make and model of phone you have).

I hope that helps. Try to stay out of trouble my friend, but if you have any trouble or have any more questions then don’t hesitate to ask.

I have a Samsung phone. Its out of warranty, the internal speaker was not working so every time I called or I received a call I needed to put it on the speaker of the phone so that I could listen. I tried everything. I opened the cover - remove the battery - put it in again - turned on the phone but no luck - I did a factory reset - but no luck - In my office there is an air compressor I just cleaned the speaker on the top of the mobile phone - opened the cover removed the battery and cleaned everything with the air compressor - and thank god - it is working perfectly so use air compressor to clean the speaker and the speaker will work.

The internal speaker on my Amazon Fire phone had stopped working but the external speaker worked fine, the speaker worked with ear buds and the microphone was working fine as well.

I was able to determine that the loss of the speaker was due to a glitch in a recent software update. If anyone has the same problem I found that I was able to fix it by switching the "hearing impaired option" on and off.

Thank you for taking the time to post the solution that you found in order to fix the internal speaker on your Amazon Fire. I’m sure that someone else will find your advice helpful when trying to resolve the internal speaker issue on their Android smartphone.

So thank you Mike.

By the way, you are one of the first persons to leave a post about the Amazon Fire on the site. How do you like your phone? Apart from the recent lack of speaker of course?

I have a Lenovo K3 Note, Android 5.1. and my voice calls are having issues.

I can hear when I speak but others cannot hear (they say it is as if I'm on mute).. Google choice search doesn't work. It doesn't hear a word, of what I speak. I keep tapping the mic & speak but no voice gets heard by Google voice search...

When I place the sim card in other phone, all's well... So this is a phone issue.

I am not sure, how the issue started...
After I tried to download a new navigation voice in Waze.

After installing runkeeper... MX player.....
This issue has been occurring for the past 4-5 days.

I noticed I had a headset on and all of a sudden the volume slider appeared at the top of the phone with the volume turned to zero... I am not sure it was a virus or a faulty headset...

Also Lenovo has released Android 6. It showed when I tried system updates... I have not updated to it, fearing further issues...

This phone is some 8 months old, here in India the Lenovo helpline is not at all helpful....

Looking to you for some info...
I doubt if factory reset will resolve the issue...

Sorry to hear that you’re having problems with your Lenovo K3 Note. There isn’t much point in owning a cell phone if other people cannot hear you talking and from what you’ve told me I agree with you and also believe that this is an issue with the phone itself. Whether it’s a hardware issue or a software issue it’s hard to tell.

From your description it also sounds like it’s not an issue with the speaker but it’s an issue with the microphone. This can be caused by a few things.

The first thing that I recommend that you check is to see if your phone is indicating that a headset is plugged into it (whether or not a headset is in fact plugged into it). If the headset jack is malfunctioning and the phone believes that you are using a headset (even though you aren’t) then that may just be the cause of the problem. If it is the cause of the problem, you will need to try to get that headset jack to work properly again. Try plugging a headset into the jack repeatedly a few times in order to get it to recognize that headset properly and to hopefully work correctly again.

If it’s not a malfunctioning headset port, then there is also a slight possibility of a hardware malfunction. In which case the microphone itself is no longer working. If this is the problem than the phone will have to be taken apart and that microphone will need to be replaced with a functional microphone. I would wait before doing this as it would likely be the last step in troubleshooting. You don’t want to replace your microphone and continue to have this problem.

You mentioned that this issue might have started after trying to download or install certain applications. This is a wise observation as these applications may in fact be the cause of the problem. If booting your phone into safe mode is not an option (which disables third party applications and could indicate an issue with one of those third party applications if safe mode does in fact allow the phones microphone to operate correctly again) then you should go through some of the applications which you have most recently installed or updated and try temporarily uninstalling them.

If you cannot pinpoint a troublesome application, then you may need to perform a full backup of the information on your device and then perform a factory data reset. I know it’s an inconvenience but if it is a virus or a bad application a reset will likely help to resolve the problem.

If the reset doesn’t help and you cannot get the microphone to pick up your voice, then it may in fact be a hardware problem. If you do not feel like or cannot replace the actual microphone, then as a temporary solution you can look into using a headset or Bluetooth for your telephone conversations. This will allow you to utilize the microphone from that headset or Bluetooth and bypass the malfunctioning microphone built into your cell phone.

I hope that helps Siddappa. Good luck my friend and if you have any questions just let me know.